Nurse Corps

March 4th, 2014, 05:06 PM

Hello,
I am a 29 year old female and I am contemplating joining the NJ National Guard. I have a Bachelor's in Psych and just acquired an Associates Degree in Nursing. I will take my NCLEX examination at the end of this month which will make me a licensed Registered Nurse. I briefly spoke with a recruiter over the phone ( tomorrow I will speak with him in person), who told me what path I should take. He said that I will first do the Basic Training and then I am eligible to go to OCS. I was wondering if after OCS if I will be able to get into the Nurse Corps. I looked at the eligibility and it seems as though I qualify to become a Nurse in the NG but I need to have the anticipated path clearly defined before I join.

Hello,
I am a 29 year old female and I am contemplating joining the NJ National Guard. I have a Bachelor's in Psych and just acquired an Associates Degree in Nursing. I will take my NCLEX examination at the end of this month which will make me a licensed Registered Nurse. I briefly spoke with a recruiter over the phone ( tomorrow I will speak with him in person), who told me what path I should take. He said that I will first do the Basic Training and then I am eligible to go to OCS. I was wondering if after OCS if I will be able to get into the Nurse Corps. I looked at the eligibility and it seems as though I qualify to become a Nurse in the NG but I need to have the anticipated path clearly defined before I join.

Your recruiter is blowing smoke. If you are pursuing the nurse corps it is a direct commission. That means no basic, no OCS. You need to be talking to an Officer or AMEDD recruiter. A regular recruiter is going to do nothing but try and enlist you first because he needs a warm body to boost his numbers. Call a recruiter back, and be stern by asking for Officer or AMEDD point of contact for New Jersey.

Comment

I wouldn't give up hope. Unless AMEDD changed the criteria, a nurse with an AS could get commissioned, BUT not promote to captain without the BS. Again, this was relevant several years ago. It may have changed.

Comment

You need to talk to an AMEDD Officer recruiter about this. Dial 800-Go-Guard and ask for this person in your state.

Whether you can direct commission will depend on your state. The Guard does not have a lot of slots for nurses in most states, as the Guard no longer runs hospitals but instead supports combat units for which nurses do not have much of a role. If NJ does not have slots available, you might try neighboring states as well.

Comment

According to the NG website (http://www.nationalguard.com/careers...hcare-officers), an ADN-prepared RN can commission if actively pursuing a BSN. Of course, the website may be out of date. Best to talk to an AMEDD recruiter! I am active duty Nurse Corps, considering either the Reserves or NG when my time is up in a little over a year. To the OP, welcome to the wonderful world of nursing and good luck on your NCLEX.